Display fixture



May 15, 1934. w KASTEN 1,959,001

DISPLAY FIXTURE Filed June 13, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l ,4 14/. Kms TEA/ INVENTOR- ORNg- May 15, 1934. A, w KASTEN 1,959,001

DISPLAY FIXTURE Filed June 13, 1955 s-sheets-sne't 2 AM KHSTEA/ INVENTOR- m I Patented May 15, 1934 PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY FIXTURE Alfred W. Kasten, New York, N. Y., assignor to National Biscuit Company, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New Jersey Application June 13, 1933, Serial No. 675,525

5 Claims.

My invention pertains to display fixtures and particularly to display racks or departments wherein a wide variety or assortment of bakery products, including both packaged goods and 5 varieties sold in .bulk, may be advantageously "displayed in a very small space.

.Heretofore it has been customary for grocers and other dealers selling bakery products to arirange their packaged goods, including crackers, wafers, biscuit, :andthe like, on shelves back of the counter, on the counter, in special racks or receptacles, and lim other ways in difierent parts :or places in the store. Bulk merchandise of the same or related kinds is usually packed in containers containing several pounds of a variety. When the merchant receives the containers, he removes the cardboard top and replaces it with a display cover having a glass front and metal rim. .Such .a .cover is shown in the patent to .20 Taylor, 1,694,024., and serves 'to display the contents of the container :to prospective purchasers. The merchant heretofore has kept these containers ,on shelves, counters, and other fixtures in :one .or more places in the store, usually in a different place from 'where similar merchandise in *retail packages is kept. These containers are of different heights, with the result that when a number of them are placed on -a shelf or'counter, the tops of the display covers are at different heights which makes an uneven display and detracts from its effectiveness. As a result, the stock of biscuit in a store is not only widely scattered but .is not attractively displayed.

Having these faults and deficiencies in mind, I have invented .a display rack or department whereby all of the varieties of biscuit, both packaged and bulk goods, in a store may be grouped together and effectually displayed, and wherein the :tops or front faces of the display covers on the bulk containers will all he in the same plane, regardless of their depth, so .as to present an :attractive display: Not'onl-y is all the merchandise displayed attractively, but my invention 'makesit possible for a merchant to have a large stock of biscuit in .a very small space.

In the drawings, I .have illustrated one .form that my invention may take wherein,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of .myimproved rack filled with merchandise.

Fig. 2 isaperspective view,partly broken away to .show'how the shelves .are secured to the side supports.

Fig. .3 is a vertical section through the rack.

Figs. 4, .7 and .8 .are detail views of one of the inclined shelves.

'two side membersor supports 10, 11, a horizontal base shelf 12, two horizontal top shelves 13, 14 and two intermediate inclined shelves 15, 16.

As shown in Fig. 1, the lower shelf '12 isadapted 19 to contain a display'of packaged goods of different varieties, as indicated at- *17, and has a front moulding 18 adapted to contain price tags '19 to indicate the retail price of the packages adjacent the respective tags. The two top shelves l3, 14 15 7 also hold packaged goods 20, ZI-and'likewise have mouldings 22, 23 secured to their front edgesfor holding the price tags '24, 25 of items displayed thereon.

The inclined shelves 15, 16 are adapted to support the containers 26 in 'whichbakery products that are to be sold in bulk are usually shipped. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side supports have inclined front edges 2'7, 28 extending for a part of their height, the front edges o'fthe inclined shelves 15, 16 lying in substantially the same plane as the front edges of the supports and supporting the containers 26 so that their tops or display covers alllie in substantially the same inclined plane regardless of the depth or height of the containers. The shelves 15, 16'lie in'planes substantially at right angles-to the inclined edges 27, 28 of the side panels 10, 11 'as'best shown in Fig. 3.

The containers 26 are the cardboard or fiber containers in which'bakery products are usually shipped and at their top edges have flaps which are turned down on the outside and the metal frames 29 of the display-covers 30 slipdown over these flaps which holdthe display-covers firmly on the containers as clearly shown in the patent to Taylor, 1,694,024, referred to above. Usually one ofthe four flaps at the top of the container, as indicated at 31, (Fig. 6) carries a price legend or the name of the varietyand it is turned inwardly under the display cover sothat it can be seen through the cover as showncn Fig. 6.

These containers are of many different heights, as shown .in Fig. 3, but usually are of the same cross sectional dimensions so that the display covers are all of the same size as shown in Fig. 1.

As best shown in Figs. 4, 6, '7 and 8, each of the inclined shelves 15, 16 has a number of plates or tongues 32 secured to their top sides and projecting beyond their front edges a distance substantially equal to the Width of the rims 29 of the display covers. The free front edges of these tongues are all in alignment on each shelf as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and on the twoshelves they all lie in an inclined plane parallel to the edges of the shelves and to the inclined edges 27, 28 of the side members. As clearly shown in Fig. 6, when the side of the container is placed on one of the shelves, one of the tongues 32 will slip in between the container 26 and the rim 29 of the display cover and the container will then be pushed far enough down on the shelf so that the front edge of the tongue will contact with the top of the rim 29. When this is done, the tops of the containers or the display covers will all be in alignment in the same inclined plane as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 regardless of the depth or height of the containers.

In order to strengthen the shelves and also to prevent merchandise from being pushed or fal1- ing off of the back edges, I provide backs or stops 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 for the respective shelves. Each of the shelves 15, 16 at its rear edge, or the backs 34, 35 at its lower edge, is provided with a number of slots or holes 38 for the convenient removal of any fragments of biscuit or other debris that may collect on the shelves.

I preferably make my display fixture so that it can be shipped knocked down and easily erected by the merchant without the use of any special tools. To accomplish this I secure a cleat 39 to each end of the bottom shelf 12 and cleats 40, 41 to each end of the top shelves 13, 14 and cleats 42, 43 to each end of the backs 34, 35 of the shelves 15, 16. 7

The inner faces of the side members 10, 11 are provided with short angle irons 44, 45 which are inclined downwardly and on which the lower faces of the ends of the shelves 15, 16 are adapted to rest. The side supports 10, 11 are drilled I to receive bolts 46, the heads of the bolts being on the outside of the side members and at their inner ends passing through the cleats of the corresponding shelves to which they are secured by wing nuts 47 as best shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 9.

At its rear side and near the top at each end, the back 37 of the top shelf has a pivoted latch 48 adapted to engage over a screw or pin 49 in the back of each of the side members 10, 11 to more firmly lock the parts together as shown in Fi 5.

In practice my improved rack will be constructed with the shelves all complete and the side members 10, 11 drilled for the bolts and provided with the angle irons 44, 45. In erecting the display rack the bolts will be passed through their proper holes in the side members and the cleats on the several shelves and when the wing nuts are tightened up and the latches 48 locked, the rack will be rigidly and securely held together but can be easily taken apart at any time for reshipment or movement to a new location.

In some instances it has been found advantageous to have the fronts of the display covers flush with the front edges of the inclined shelves. In order that this may be done, I have in some instances modified the shape of the plates or tongues 32 as shown in Fig. 10. In this case the forwardly extending tongues 32' are offset and their free front edges do not come out quite as far as the front edge of the shelf. This permits the rim 29 of the display cover to slide in between the tongue and shelf so that the front of the cover lies in substantially the same plane as the front of the shelf.

While I have shown my improved rack as a portable fixture, it will be understood that it is capable of many modifications and may be built into the store as a part of the permanent fixtures. Also I have shown my rack as made of wood, the side members 10, 11 preferably being made of ply-wood to prevent warping and splitting but in some instances I have made the rack entirely of metal and I do not wish to be limited to any particular material or to the details shown except as defined in my claims. When the entire rack or the inclined shelves are made from metal, the tongues or plates 32 preferably are made integral with the shelves. Also the tongues 32 which I have shown substantially as wide as the flanges on the containers may be made of one or more narrow members rather than the wide ones that I have shown.

The embodiment of my invention that I have shown has top and bottom horizontal shelves and only intermediate inclined shelves. However, I am not limited to any particular number or arrangement of shelves, and in some instances any or all of the horizontal shelves may be omitted, rearranged or replaced by inclined shelves, which may be solid or composed of two or more longitudinal bars or slats. Also the shelves 15, 16

may be supported by other means than the brackets 44, 45. In some cases I have supported the ends of the shelves in slots or mortices in the sides 10, 11.

Having thus described one form that my invention may take, I claim all modifications and equivalents thereof that may come within the scope of the following claims:

1. In a display fixture, the combination of side supports, a rearwardly inclined transverse shelf connected to the side supports, forwardly and upwardly inclined tongues secured to the shelf adjacent its forward edge, the forward edges of the tongues being in alignment.

2. In a display fixture, the combination of side supports having inclined front edges, rearwardly inclined shelves secured to said supports and having their front edges lying substantially in the same plane as said inclined front edges, plates secured to said shelves in planes parallel to the faces of the shelves and so that their free front edges are disposed substantially in an inclined plane parallel to the front edges of said shelves and side supports.

3. In a display fixture, a pair of vertical side supports, top and bottom horizontal shelves secured to said supports, said supports intermediate said shelves having inclined front edges, rearwardly and downwardly inclined shelves secured to said supports with their front edges substantially in alignment with said inclined front edges, forwardly extending plates secured to said shelves adjacent the front edges thereof and in planes parallel to the faces of the shelves, the front edges of the plates lying in the, same plane.

4. In a display fixture, the combination of side supports having inclined front edges, inclined shelves secured to said supports and extending rearwardly substantially at right angles to said inclined edges, the front edges of the shelves lying substantially in the same planeas said inclined front edges, plates secured to said shelves parallel shelves secured to said supports with their front edges substantially in alignment with said inclined front edges, plates secured to said. shelves parallel to the faces thereof so that their free front edges lie substantially in an inclined plane parallel to the front edges of said shelves and side supports.

ALFRED W. KASTEN. 

